By Rachel Gobep
Through the Youngstown Coffee Club, subscribers can receive whole bean coffee from different local shops each month at their doorstep.
The business began two months ago and is in its infancy, but it’s designed to let people experience different flavors of Youngstown coffee such as those at Stone Fruit Coffee Company and Branch Street Coffee Roasters, according to David Moliterno, owner of the Coffee Club.
“We got a lot more momentum than I thought we would get in two months, so that’s really encouraging,” Moliterno said.
Moliterno said there will be a different local coffee shop featured in the subscription each month, which could give those who only go to one shop a new experience of flavor and open people up to trying new things.
“[Most coffee drinkers] go to one shop. They know just one flavor, one roast and they don’t expand and really try new flavors,” Moliterno said.
He said the Coffee Club is a way to help support local businesses and help money stay into the community.
He also said people from out of the area have contacted him wanting to receive Youngstown coffee monthly.
Moliterno, a true coffee enthusiast, said he tries various flavors of coffee and will go to two or three coffee shops in the area every day. He said each shop has “different, unique flavors.”
He said he currently has multiple flavors at home and drinks two cups of coffee at night before going to sleep.
Through the subscription, Moliterno said people will not only receive coffee, but locally made candles and baked goods.
“It’s not just one thing you’re getting. You’re getting a taste of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley,” he said.
Stone Fruit also has a subscription that focuses just on coffee, but the coffee is also sold through the Coffee Club, according to owner and chief coffee meister, Josh Langenheim.
Langenheim said he was interested in helping Moliterno with his business because it is a locally based company, trying to promote Youngtown products.
“Anything that we can do to put Youngstown back on the map, we’re interested in doing … This is all about Youngstown,” he said.
Scott Couchenour, a Youngstown State University graduate and founder of Coffeeprops, an Instagram account that showcases photos of coffee, said he has discussed the topic of coffee and the elements that are related to it with Moliterno.
He said the elements include local coffee, passion and millennials.
“Coffee is something that draws us together,” Couchenour said.
With his Instagram account, Couchenour uses photos other people or shops took of coffee or coffee related things and gives “props” to them. The account has over 92 thousand followers in 185 different countries.
Couchenour said it is good to support local coffee shops through something like the Coffee Club.
The Coffee Club offers two ways to receive a coffee subscription: Just the Beans, which includes 8-10 ounces of fresh roasted whole bean coffee, and Coffee Club, which includes 8-16 ounces of fresh roasted whole bean coffee and items from local bakers or shops.
Subscriptions can be made for one, three, six or twelve months and orders can be made at youngstowncoffeeclub.com.
I’m excited about David’s vision for the Youngstown Coffee Club. In the comfort of their own home, coffee lovers can sample the works of local roasters and artisans and go deeper with a visit to see more. This will not only help boost the YTown economy but it will spread the aura of craftsmanship that is so prevalent in this area.
A subscription like this can help bring the Valley to all parts of the world. This is exciting to see. In fact, I believe there should be a coffee club in every metropolitan area.
Thanks so much for the interview and for sharing the mission of youngstowncoffeeclub.com in the Jambar!